


Once Upon A Time

by Jaybeefoxy



Series: Flufftober Prompts 2020 [10]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Babysitting, Do Not Translate, Fluff, Flufftober, Flufftober 2020, Greg being a dad, M/M, Mystrade fluff, You do not have permission to post to another site, mystrade, papa lestrade
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:55:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26960260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaybeefoxy/pseuds/Jaybeefoxy
Summary: Babysitting Rosie and Mycroft learns something.
Relationships: Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade
Series: Flufftober Prompts 2020 [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950532
Comments: 5
Kudos: 98





	Once Upon A Time

**Author's Note:**

> Part ten of Flufftober Mystrade prompts 2020

**"Once upon a time** there was a handsome prince…” 

Mycroft listened with half an ear as Greg read a bedtime story to Rosie. They had been landed with babysitting the smallest Watson because Mrs Hudson was visiting her sister in Brighton and Molly was on a date with her new man. It was John’s birthday, and Sherlock had practically begged the two men to take her off their hands for the night. Greg had readily agreed, where Mycroft was dubious, but he still agreed, albeit reluctantly. Greg seemed confident and he decided to trust that his husband knew what he was doing.

“And the Princess drew her sword and slashed her way through the briars…”

“What’re those?”

“What, darling?”

“Bry-urs.”

“Briars? They’re prickly plants…”

“Wild roses, my dear,” Mycroft piped up, glancing at them over his half-rim specs.

Greg smiled and carried on. “And the princess fought her way through the briars, and on up the path she went. Suddenly a huge wolf stood in her way, snarling and slavering…”

“Ooo,” Rosie cooed. “What’d she do?”

“Well, she brandished her sword. That means she waved it at him…”

“But with style,” Mycroft murmured.

“Panache,” Greg said. “Verve. Flamboyance.”

“Gregory, Miss Watson will not understand such long words…”

“I can too!” she declared. “Flam-boy-ants,” she repeated. “What’s it mean, uncle Greg?”

Mycroft raised his eyebrows at the title she bestowed on his husband. _Uncle_ Greg smiled back. “Well done. Princesses have to be brainy as well as brave. Flamboyance means doing something showy, showing off, um...Like circus performers, you know? The ladies in their twinkly costumes, the clowns in their funny colourful suits. If they just dressed like they were going to work, it wouldn’t look as good, would it? Got to have panache if you'rein a circus."

“Nope,” she agreed. “You mean like Uncle Mycroff? Daddy says he always looks boring, but I don’t agree.”

“Yeah, well…”

“You’re not boring,” Rosie declared to Mycroft, who smiled politely at her. "You've got pan...pach... _panache."_

“Thank you, my dear. So have you.”

“So,” Greg said, trying to get the story back on track. “The princess brandished her sword and scared the wolf away…”

“So, I am not boring,” Mycroft declared to nobody in particular as Greg came downstairs from putting Rosie to bed, and grinned at him. 

“You are _definitely_ not boring,” he said, picking up the story book and tidying it into the magazine rack beside the chair. “Rosie is a discerning young lady.”

“One who is also destined to grow up devoid of gender stereotyping, if that book is anything to go by.”

Greg nodded. “Got the title from my sister. She used to read it to her kids. I can honestly say, Rosie will not be growing up with a prejudiced bone in her body.” 

“Amen,” Mycroft said.

“Let’s face it, with those two as her dads, she’s unlikely to grow up in a normal household, is she?”

“Two fathers, and two uncles married to each other, she will hopefully grow up with a healthy attitude to LGBTQ issues.”

“Hopefully in her case, they won’t be seen as _issues._ Might be nice to grow up thinking it’s just what people do. You know, normal, although I hate using the word. Commonplace, that’s better.” 

Mycroft slid an arm around his husband’s shoulders and squeezed gently. “We shall do our best to see that is the case,” he said. “Ms Watson is a bright girl, and she loves her fathers. _Both_ of them,” he added. 

“Yeah, I know. Sherlock is an amazing dad.”

“Who would have predicted that?”

“Certainly not me.” Greg paused, thoughtful. “Myc? You never thought of...well, fostering? or adopting? Giving some kid a forever home. Money is no object after all.”

“I have often wondered what it might be like, but neither of our careers is such that it would make parenting easy.”

“Parenting is never easy. You can’t let that stop you. Kids need a stable homelife, plenty of love, care, time...”

Mycroft sighed. “I dare say, it would be nice to pass along my genes. Mummy would be over the moon…”

“Maybe we’re too old to have kids of our own but…”

“We are not too old, Gregory.”

“Nah, we’re...okay, we’re not getting any younger. I wouldn’t like to think one or both of us, should die and leave a young kid without a family, that’s all.”

“Pessimistic of you, Gregory.”

“Realistic, Mycroft. I’m no spring chicken anymore. Besides, I would rather I wasn’t into my dotage when said kid is only reaching its teens.” 

“Gregory, you are in your mid fifties. There are film stars and singers having children who are older than you.”

“Point. Doesn’t alter my view though.”

“Well, for now, all we need worry about is what we are going to do with Rosie. I have no idea when those two will stir themselves to come collect her.”

“Let’s take her to the zoo tomorrow morning. She’ll love it, and those two can have a lie in. I’ll text John.”

“Very well. I dare say I can squeeze a few hours off.” Mycroft contemplated the possibility of having a child to care for, and found it left him feeling unaccountably warm. Gregory would make a fantastic father. Perhaps it was time to do some research… 

Every story begins with Once upon a time, after all. Perhaps this could be their happy ever after. 

**Author's Note:**

> The book Greg reads from isn’t a reference to a particular book, but is similar to The Paperbag Princess, and Princess Jessica Rescues a Prince.


End file.
